E-commerce helps Chinese rural farmers

For about 60 years, she has made a living by selling salted duck eggs.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE)LIAO XIUYING, Villager:
“I began to make salted eggs when I was in my 20s. People in the village always like to buy my eggs, because they are delicious.”

Liao’s salted eggs have been popular in nearby villages.

However, she never thought they could sell so well that she had to prepare thousands of them for the National Day Holiday — all due to an e-commerce platform launched by the Jiangxi Postal Company to help local farmers.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE)ZENG MEIYU, Liao’s granddaughter-in-law:
“So far, we have sold nearly 6,000 salted eggs on the internet, with over 1,200 dollars of profit.”

In the past, local villagers mainly make a living by doing farm work, or seeking jobs in the cities.

With the launching of the platform known as “Rural E-Express” in late 2014, many residents have seen their incomes double.

SOUNDBITE(CHINESE)YANG ZHANJUN, Marketing Manager of Jiangxi postal company:
“Our main task is to promote agricultural produce in towns and cities, and help farmers sell their products.”

Just last month, the central government has released an e-commerce action plan to modernize the agricultural sector.

Over the next three years, more infrastructure and policies will be established in order to bring about influential agricultural e-commerce brands.

Experts say it’s a way to keep farming in sync with demographic changes and advances in technology, while helping increase revenue for more rural residents.